World Briefing | Middle East: West Bank: Palestinians Strike

Published: May 3, 2007

Tens of thousands of Palestinian workers staged a one-day strike to protest against the government's inability to pay full wages since Hamas came to power more than a year ago. ''Today's strike is a warning. If the government does not heed our demands, then I am afraid we are heading towards an open-ended strike,'' said the head of the government workers' union, Bassam Zakarneh. Tensions between Hamas and Fatah remain high, and a ban on direct aid to the government remains in place. Union leaders said that as many as 80,000 Palestinian government workers were taking part in the strike, shutting down government ministries and buildings.